Cal-Stanford's 'The Play' Is a Peak 'If Twitter Were Around' Moment: TRAINA THOUGHTS

A bunch of laterals and a band running on the field at the end of 1982's Cal-Stanford football game would've broken Twitter.

1. There are many, many legendary plays in sports we've all seen a million times and live on forever.

The ball going through Bill Buckner's legs in the 1986 World Series, Dwight Clark's catch in the 1981 NFC Championship game, Christian Laettner's shot in the 1992 Elite Eight and Michael Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals to name a few.

In addition to plays, there are also certain sports moments that many of us remember and instantly think, "Imagine if Twitter were around for this."

The O.J. Simpson Bronco chase, The Malice at the Palace and Roger Clemens throwing a bat at Mike Piazza are incidents that immediately come to mind as moments that would've broken Twitter.

"The Play" also fits into the "legendary play" and "imagine if Twitter were around" categories.

Today, Nov. 20, is the 38th anniversary of Cal's famous 25–20 comeback win over Stanford, which saw the Golden Bears pull off a bunch of laterals and Kevin Moen running through the Cardinal band on his way to the end zone.

Obviously, the play itself would cause Twitter to lose its collective mind. There would be memes and GIFs and band camp jokes for days. At one point during the play, a Cal ball carrier was engulfed by six Stanford defenders and still got away.

But the awesome call by Cal's Joe Starkey would've also been a hit on Twitter. The steady build up of Starkey's call, including him saying, "They're still in deep trouble" early in the play and then a short time later exploding with "THE BAND IS OUT ON THE FIELD! HE'S GONNA GO INTO THE END ZONE," followed by shrieking and yelling would've sent Tweeters into a frenzy as well.

What a magical and memorable sports moment. We wish Twitter were around for it.

2. If you read Traina Thoughts, you know about the multiple reasons for the TV ratings decline across sports. And you know election coverage was a big reason, and that people were flocking to cable news. Now that the election is over, look for those sports ratings to bounce back a little. It's already happened at ESPN.

With the end of the Election, there are signs that fans are returning to their typical TV sports habits. Almost all of ESPN's studio shows increased viewership over last week. The real standout was the 6p @SportsCenter, up +107% over last week and +13% over 2019.

— Flora Kelly (@ESPNFlora) November 20, 2020

3. A Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College defensive lineman tried to run onto the field with a chainsaw before last night's game, because, why not? However, the refs stopped the player from possibly shredding up any person who might have accidentally gotten in his way. 

The referees at MGCCC vs Jones wouldn’t let the Bulldogs bring our their chainsaw. 😂

“Y’all can’t bring that out here”

I asked the refs about it right before the coin toss.

“One of us has been doing this 30 years and haven’t seen something like that” 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/n57bzpgZgX

— Alyssa Newton 📸 (@AlyssaKNewton) November 20, 2020

You can watch a longer version of the above video here.

4. I don't know if I've ever said this in Traina Thoughts, but I've said it on Twitter many times. I stopped playing fantasy football three or four years ago and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. 

Why am I telling you this? Because people are freaking out that Taysom Hill, who has been named the Saints starting QB this week, is eligible at tight end in ESPN fantasy leagues and the ESPN app crashed today with people trying to pick him up. I'm so glad to be done with that stuff.

Taysom Hill qualifies at TE this week in @ESPNFantasy and would be the #1 TE this week if he starts at QB for New Orleans which seems like a very real possibility. 73% available in ESPN leagues. Must add.

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) November 20, 2020

Taysom Hill news caused ESPN fantasy app to crash due to TE eligibility https://t.co/i17fhlB31G

— Larry Brown Sports (@larrybrownsport) November 20, 2020

5. This week's SI Media Podcast features an interview with WWE legend The Undertaker (known as Mark Calaway in real life).

Taker talks about his "Final Farewell" at this Sunday's Survivor Series, his very lengthy ring entrance, why he doesn't think Brock Lesnar should've broken his WrestleMania streak, why he didn't want to throw Mick Foley off the top of the Hell in a Cell, his biggest fight with Vince McMahon and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

The SI Media Podcast is also now available on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Remember the twins who went viral earlier this year for their reaction to hearing Phil Collins's In the Air Tonight for the first time?

Now they're interviewing President Obama.

7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: If you listened to my podcast with The Undertaker this week, you heard me ask him about a post-Monday Night Raw bit where Booker T, Triple H, The Rock and Vince McMahon tried to get him to do Booker T's "spinaroonie" move. If you've never seen the clip, you absolutely should watch it now.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.